Sides & Appetizers

Potato Skins

Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

4 pieces of bacon

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt

Sour cream for dipping

Method:

Wash potatoes very good. Prick each potato several
time with a fork. Place potatoes in microwave at least an inch apart and cook
on high 4-6 minutes or until slightly firm, turning in two minute increments.
Set aside to cool. Place bacon on a plate between two paper towels, microwave
for 2-3 minutes, rotating every minute, until crispy. Cut each potato in half
and scoop out the centers leaving about a ¼ inch boarder. Place the potato
centers into a small bowl. Once all the potatoes are scooped, mash the centers
with butter until smooth, salt to taste. Arrange skins on a plate. Place
filling back into skins making them level. Top each with cheese pressing into
the filling slightly. Crumble bacon and sprinkle on top. Microwave for 2
minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream for dipping. Enjoy! (You
can also broil them to melt the cheese if doing a larger quantity).

Puffers (German Potato Pancakes)

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes (2 large or 5 small)

1 egg

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon onion powder

Oil for frying

Method:

Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks.
Place in a food processor (or blender), and process until potatoes are finely
minced. Add the egg, flour, and salt. Blend until well mixed. In a straight
edged skillet heat about ½ inch oil over medium high heat. Once hot add
spoonful’s of the batter to the oil and cook until starting to brown on the
edges. Carefully flip over and continue cooking until golden brown on the other
side. Remove to plate lined with paper towel to drain the grease. Don’t over
crowd the pan and add additional oil if it gets too low. Continue until all of
the batter is gone. Enjoy!

My great grandma Butler, who taught me this
recipe, told me that her dad always served them with applesauce to counteract
all of the grease. So that is exactly what I always do!

Pecan Cranberry Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts

2/3 cup roughly chopped pecans

3 tablespoons butter

¾ cup roughly to chopped dried cranberries

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Method:

Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts, making sure to
remove the core pieces. Toast the chopped pecans in a large sauté pan over
medium high heat, stirring constantly until they start to darken and smell
nutty, about 2 minutes. Add the butter to the pan, once it is melted add in the
Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper. Cook stirring constantly, until the sprouts
are just tender, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the
cranberries, mix and serve. Enjoy!

Mashed Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

6 large red potatoes

5 tablespoons butter

½ cup sour cream

6 tablespoons milk

Salt

Pepper

Method:

Wash and cut all the potatoes into similar sizes
pieces. The smaller you cut the potatoes the faster they will cook. Put them in
a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add salt. Boil until the
potatoes are fork tender and falling apart. The longer they cook the easier
they are to mash, drain. Place in a large bowl with the butter, sour cream,
milk, salt and pepper to taste. Using an electric mixer whip until smooth and
creamy texture is reached. Enjoy!

Marinated Cucumbers

Ingredients:

1 cup white wine vinegar

½ cup water

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

Whole Peppercorns

Cucumbers

Method:

Mix together the vinegar, water, sugar, parsley
and salt, making sure the sugar and salt are dissolved. Peel and thinly slice
the cucumbers, place them in a bowl or jar. Add a few peppercorns, and then pour
the marinade over the cucumbers to cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hour,
overnight is even better, before serving. For a slight variation, use with
thinly sliced onions, or red peppers. Enjoy!

Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

1 cup orzo pasta

1 cup white rice (not instant)

½ cup butter (1 stick)

4 cups chicken stock

½ tablespoon garlic powder

½ tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Method:

In a large pot over medium high heat, melt
the butter, add the orzo and rice, cook until the orzo and rice are golden
brown, stirring frequently so they don’t burn. Add in the chicken stock, garlic
powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat
to low. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Enjoy!

Mozzarella Cheese Bites

Ingredients:

14 mozzarella string cheese

1 package shake n bake

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 egg

Marinara sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow dish
combine the shake n bake, and the Italian seasoning. In another shallow dish
beat the egg. Cut each string cheese in half. coat each in egg and then into
the shake n bake mixture. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake them for 8-12 minutes or until the coating is crunchy and the cheese is
softened. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 packages mushrooms

1 pound Italian sausage

2 packages cream cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet
over medium high heat cook the sausage until browned. Drain and return to skillet.
Meanwhile, remove the stems from the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms on a baking
sheet. Finely chop the stems, add them to the sausage. Return the pan to the
heat and add the cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese is melted and
everything is well combined. Stuff the mushroom caps with filling. Bake them
for 10 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked through. Enjoy!

Tangy Cheesy Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower

¼ cup water

½ mayonnaises

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

Break the cauliflower into bite sized flowerets,
place in a large microwave safe bowl. Add the water and cover. Microwave on
high for 6-9 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Drain off the water. In a
small bowl mix together the mayo, mustard, onion powder, and salt. Cover the
cauliflower with the sauce and stir. Cover with cheese. Microwave for 2-3 more
minutes or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Guacamole My Way

Ingredients:

4 ripe avocados

2-3 limes

1-2 tomatoes (depending on size)

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Salt

Tortilla chips for serving

Method:

Dice the tomatoes
into small pieces, set aside. Slice each avocado in half lengthwise around the
pit, separate and remove the pit. Cut each in half again and gently peel of the
skins. Cut into chunks and place in a medium bowl. Zest one lime, adding it to the
avocados. Juice 2-3 limes depending on how juicy they are. Mash the avocados
together with the lime zest and juice using a fork or potato masher. Add the
garlic powder, onion powder and salt to taste. Add tomatoes mix to combine,
serve with chips. Enjoy!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Pages

Search This Blog

Follow by Email

Followers

Creative Inspiration

A lot of things can create a recipe. For me it can be looking at a picture that inspires me or a favorite family recipe that I change up. I get some of my recipe ideas from pictures on Pinterest, Facebook, local TV spots, family, and friends. While ideas are not original—recipes are.

About Me

I love to cook and I learned from the best—my grandma. She taught me the way to make people happy is to feed them good food. Now, I have a family of my own and love to experiment with new tastes and textures. My hope is to create fun and delicious foods that bring happiness to others.

Brooke Stephenson

About My Girls

I always know my food is good if my girls devour it.Roeinna, my oldest, is not afraid to tell me if something is “yucky” or “delicious”.Lydian, my baby, is also my professional taste tester.It’s a fun day in the kitchen when I’ve got my helpers with me.Unexpected ingredients can turn into a new dish any moment my back turns.I want them to grow up cooking next to me the way I did with my mom and grandma.

Roeinna & Lydian

About My Mom

My mom is my best friend.We love to hang out together and brainstorm dishes that we think will be new and different.The fun part is making them.Although we might never agree on how much butter to put into something we hit it off when it comes to anything chocolate.I hope to be cooking next to her for years to come.

Lori Bushman

About My Nana

Some of my fondest memories come from the kitchen counter at my grandma’s house.From being the hosts of our very own pretend-cooking-show, to just learning the basics of cooking, she is still to this day one of my all-time inspirations.

Barbara Bird

About My Photographer

Not only is he my number one fan, and photographer, he’s also my husband. Check out his work, including his picture books at www.insidemikeysworld.com

There was an error in this gadget

Bountiful Baskets

Bountiful Baskets is a great way to get fresh produce that can help bring creativity to your kitchen. Each week there is a different variety of fruits and veggies. Clink the picture above to go to their website.